


genetically-engineered superpower bootcamp

by augustbyers



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Other, Polyamory, Superpowers, Will has Powers, bird-chest wheeler gets hit with rocks for the cause, el's boyfriend mike and mike's boyfriend will, milevill, milk carton theft, short and fluffy, yes will is gay thanks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 05:26:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14489787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/augustbyers/pseuds/augustbyers
Summary: will has powers he doesn't know how to control. el is helping him, but they haven't managed to tap into it yet. until el puts mike in the line of fire (from the safety of the backyard, of course)





	genetically-engineered superpower bootcamp

It was day six of Genetically-Engineered Super Power Bootcamp, and needless to say, it was not going well. 

Mike's already had to run to the store for more cleaning supplies, as Will had exploded more milk cartons than levitated them. El, who typically had a quick and impatient temper, was calm. "It's very hard," is all she said to Mike when he mentioned it. He didn't argue. He couldn't imagine. 

Will sat criss-cross on the floor, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. It was his 15th school lunch milk. Their whole friend group had asked for extras all week. He was visibly disappointed in himself. "I don't think I can do it." 

"You can, Will," El encouraged him. "You just need a big feeling. Something strong. Something worth it." 

He didn't miss the way Will's eyes darted between the two of them for a second, and he smiled fondly. 

"I've been trying. Maybe mine's just... accidental? What if it's supposed to stay that way?" Will didn't even sound like he had  _himself_ convinced. El shook her head, and then, curiously, turned to look at Mike. 

"I have an idea," she said, and then shrugged. "But you're not going to like it." 

"If it'll help, I'll do it," he replied firmly, and Will made a sound of protest in the background.  

On day seven of bootcamp, the three of them are standing in Will's backyard. Mike is in a threadbare t-shirt and shorts, for minimal padding. Will is facing him a few feet away, and El is between the two of them, holding a bucket of small rocks. 

"Can we please find a different way to do this?" Will begged. "I don't see how throwing rocks at our boyfriend is going to help me get this under control." 

El shifted the bucket to rest it on against her hip. "It's simple. You love him. I'm going to hurt him. If you want me to stop, stop me." 

"El–" 

"Stop. Me." 

Will swallowed his words. Mike smiled at him reassuringly. "It'll be fine! They're only like, a little bit bigger than pebbles." 

El took a rock. "Ready?" 

"Ready," Mike confirmed, and she waits for Will's nod before throwing it. 

It hit Mike square in the chest, and then dropped into the grass between his feet. Will looked devastated. "I'm so sorry, Mike. I'll get the next one, I promise." 

He doesn't. Or the next. Or the next. 

Pretty soon they're halfway through the bucket and Mike was looking more and more like he regretted volunteering. El was expressing the physical representation of 'yikes', and Will looked like he was ready to call it quits. "It isn't working. Please can we just stop and find another way? Or forget it entirely? This isn't worth it." 

"Hm," El hummed, and dread dawned on Mike as he realized she had registered the problem. It wasn't a big enough threat. He watched Will's face as he slowly understood what the issue was, too. El was already scouring the yard. 

"El, no," Will refused. El rolled her eyes. 

"If it makes you more comfortable, Mike can throw it at me." 

"Hell no!" They protested in unison. 

"So," El said, hefting a much bigger, much more painful-looking stone from the dirt, "Shut up and protect him." 

And then, with zero warning, she threw it straight at Mike. 

"No!" 

Mike squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for getting a stone the size of his hand chucked at his chest, but the impact never came. 

He tentatively cracked an eye open, his breath rushing out of him at once. It had stopped right in front of him, not even a foot away. He looked at Will. 

The other boy was frozen, his arm still reaching out towards Mike, his expression terrified. To the side, El was smiling smugly at the both of them. 

"Oh my god, Will," Mike breathed, his hand coming up to tap the rock, breaking its stasis. He moved his feet out of the way to avoid breaking his toes. "You did it!"

"I– what?" Was all Will could muster. He was still just standing there. El ran up and threw her arms around him. 

"You did it! That was amazing!" She cried, her smile huge and proud. Mike hurried over, towering over the both of them and wrapping them in a big hug. "I was going to stop it before it hit but you–!" 

"I did it?" Will asked shakily, running his hands over Mike's stomach and chest. "You're okay?" 

Mike huffed out a breath, smiling good-naturedly. "I'm a little sore from the dozens of rocks earlier but I'm more than okay. You stopped it!" 

"I stopped it," he whispered, his smile growing. "I stopped it!" 

Mike took them out for ice cream after that. 

It got easier, after that initial scare. Will still had trouble, but he understood control didn't happen overnight, and El stayed patient. They created a little game between them and the rest of the party; any of the members could ask Will to pass something to them, but he couldn't physically touch the object in any way, and that included using someone else to pick it up. It got him into the habit of being able to use his powers in a casual, less life-or-death setting, and eventually helped him become more comfortable with using them as well. 

Every day Will looked better, seemed brighter. He and El came up with a variety of games to help him practice, and El herself seemed overjoyed to have something fun to do with her powers and with someone else like her, no less. 

Sometimes Mike wondered when it became so normal for him to walk in on his boyfriend and girlfriend playing telekinetic catch, or when telekinesis  _itself_  became normal, but he didn't sweat it. He considered himself more than lucky to be a part of their lives. 

(And not having to get out of bed to shut the lights off was pretty sweet, too.) 

**Author's Note:**

> hey dudes! i meant for this to be a byeler one shot but oh well. i didn't co-create this milevill baby for nothing
> 
> if you liked this, please leave a comment or kudos or whatever floats your boat! 
> 
> and if you want to request prompts and stuff like that from me (for byeler or milevill, etc) check me out on tumblr at queerbyeler! thanks for reading :)


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